Many famous people from various walks of life have had the distinction of having plants, animals, and fish named after them. Politicians are not exempt. For example, the Agathidium Bushi, Agathidium Cheneyi, and Agathidium Rumsfeld are spectacular beetles named after President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Now, a colorful freshwater fish has been named in honor of U.S. President Barack Obama.
A Little Fish with a Famous Namesake
While Democratic President Obama is less than popular in many states where people traditionally vote the Republican ticket, a pair of southern scientists have been naming some newly discovered freshwater darters after American presidents who make advances toward protecting the environment. Not surprisingly, Mr. Obama met the pair’s standards.
Biologist Rick Mayden, of St. Louis University, and ecologist Steve Layman, who works with a company called Geosyntec Consultants told Scientific American that the president earned the honor of having the species named after him by taking a much more holistic stance on ecological issues than the majority of his predecessors. “We chose President Obama for his environmental leadership, particularly in the areas of clean energy and environmental protection, and because he is one of our first leaders to approach conservation and environmental protection from a more global vision," the scientists said.
This darter is one of the smallest perch species in the world, with males measuring in at just 1.9 inches long, and with females being even smaller, at an average of 1.7 inches in length. The species it comes by its nickname due to its tendency to dart from one rocky hiding place to another. Once, Spangled Darters were thought to be a single species; however, the scientists studying them noticed enough variation among the fish that they decided to name five separate subspecies. In case you’re wondering, the other four variations are named in honor of Presidents Teddy Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton, along with Vice President Al Gore. All these famous figures made important contributions to America’s environmental policies.
This family of Darters inhabits creeks and rivers throughout America. Etheostoma Obama, or the Spangled Darter, is native to Tennessee. The male fish are remarkably beautiful, with vibrant blue, orange, and green scales. They have an iridescent gleam, and bear stripes and almost checked patterns on their sides. Vivid orange and blue stripes embellish the fish’s dorsal fins, and orange speckles radiate outward in fan-shaped patterns on the remainder of the fins and along the fish’s tails.
According to Layman, each of the newly identified fish species is genetically different from the other, yet they do have common ancestors. The ways the species relate to one another helps illustrate the way historic changes in river drainage patterns can provide the geographic isolation necessary for a new species to develop.
Luckily, neither the Obamafish or any of its cousins is threatened, however scientists are concerned that habitat alteration, sedimentation, agricultural runoff, urbanization, and other common environmental threats could put the fish at risk. With careful conservation, this fascinating group of fish will continue to thrive in America’s streams.